Easy Lunch Idea: Homemade Uncrustables

If my daughter could eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for every meal of every day for the rest of her life, I think she’d sign up for that without a moment’s hesitation, especially if it’s a homemade uncrustables.

However. Watching her eat around the crust drives me up a freaking wall. Not that I blame her; some crust on bread is hard and so gross that I peel it off, too.

Thankfully, our homemade uncrustables maker (aka the Pampered Chef Cut-n-Seal, only $12) saves the day (and me money), every single day.

Make and Freeze Your PB&J Sandwiches

We actually batch make these on the weekends so we’ll have them ready to go for the week.

I get a loaf of bread—the cheaper white (soft) bread works best, but I also use whole wheat often, and spend about 15 minutes just making a ton of PB&J sandwiches on a Sunday afternoon…and then I freeze them.

My daughter’s job in the morning is to open up the bag of sammys in the freezer and get two out for her lunch. They come apart super easily—no pre-freezing on a tray or anything like that required.

Plus, they thaw by lunch time, and are good to go. (If you’re having these for a snack in the middle of the day, pop it into the microwave for 15 seconds.)

How To Make Homemade Uncrustables:

Making these homemade uncrustables is so simple even my 6 year old can do it (actually, she started making them around the age of five)! She often gets sets up her own assembly line and takes the lead on getting them done.

If you’re planning on freezing the sandwiches, I highly suggest spreading the peanut butter on both sides of the bread, and then adding a little jelly on the top of one side of peanut butter. It’ll keep the sandwich from getting soggy.

Also keep in mind that a little goes a long way with these sandwiches since it all gets squished together. So keep the filling light.

Rock that Cut-N-Seal

Give the Cut-N-Seal a little rocking motion to seal it up, and then use the opening to push the sandwich through the hole.

Be gentle with it (this is bread we’re using here). I usually flip the sandwich around and rock it on the other side, just to get it nice and closed up.

Nobody wants “jelly poop” coming out the bottom end, am I right?

Tired of buying your own nut butter and jelly/jam, and wanna make some yourself? Use the Deluxe Cooking Blender and you can make some in a jiffy!

Then that’s it!

Put your homemade uncrustables in a freezer bag and plop it in the freezer!

Other things you can make with a Cut-N-Seal

Besides the traditional PB&J, you can swap the PB out for any kind of nut butter, or skip it entirely and go for some Nutella.

You can make a meat and cheese sandwich (just make sure not to fill it too much—you want bread-on-bread to seal the deal).

Try making a pizza pocket or fill it with slices of cheddar cheese and make a delicious grilled cheese.

Why You Need a Cut-N-Seal in Your Life:

These homemade uncrustables pocket sandwiches are fantastic, not just because they don’t have the crust, but because it minimizes the ooey, sticky mess that comes with this type of sandwich.

Truth be told: I used to despise PB&J’s because letting the kids have one would always mean I’d be busting out the wipes to clean up the inevitable mess.

Thankfully, the Cut-n-Seal cinches the edges closed to keep the filling inside. Plus, it’s dishwasher safe, which is always a plus in my eyes.

Tip number two: not sure what to do with all that leftover bread? Save it, freezer it, then make a PB&J French Toast Casserole with it (recipe coming on Thursday!)

A Peanut Butter Scooper

Speaking of peanut butter, when we’re not making our own PB or jelly, we get it from Costco in a giant container. It’s pretty hard to reach the bottom, and so much would go to waste.

Well, this Scoop and Spread, aka my Peanut Butter Scooper, gets allllll the peanut butter from the bottom of the jar so I don’t have to wait a single bit…much to my dog’s dismay since she loves making that jar squeaky clean.

Do You Need Homemade Uncrustables in Your Life?

Yeah you do! Check out the Cut-N-Seal here and the Scoop and Spread here. How much time will this save you in the mornings?